Tag: india china line of actual control

Excerpt: China’s Refusal to Issue Visas After 2005 Was an Early Sign that LAC Was Going ‘Live’

In this excerpt from ‘After Tiananmen: The Rise of China’, Vijay Gokhale explains how China’s actions post-2005, despite showing sensitivity to India’s concerns, spoke louder than words.

The following is an excerpt from the book After Tiananmen: The Rise of China by Vijay Gokhale, released by HarperCollins India in September, 2022.

In many ways, the year 2005 was to be the high point in India-China relations in the post-Cold War period.

Although the relationship continued to make progress on the surface even after 2005, it became apparent over the next few years that the consensus, outlined by the prime ministers of India and China in a joint statement in April 2005 (during the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to India), was being adhered to by the Chinese side only when it suited them.

Positive noises on bilateral trade and business continued to come out of Beijing because their exports gained greater and greater market share in India. On a range of matters of direct concern to India, however, including the clean ‘waiver’ for the Indo-American 123 Deal in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the question of India’s aspirations for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, the Chinese were ambivalent and worked behind the scenes to stall progress.

After Tiananmen: The Rise of China by Vijay Gokhale (HarperCollins India, September 2022)

On the Kashmir question, there was a brief period in the mid to late 1990s when China gave the appearance of adjusting its position by dropping references to the UN Security Council’s role in resolving this matter. During the Kargil war, because India presented overwhelming proof of Pakistan’s active involvement to the Chinese side, the Chinese took a more neutral stand in public. This was part of their effort to keep relations with India on an even keel.

This ended after 9/11 and thereafter, there was scant consideration for Indian sensitivities. Sino-Pakistani strategic relations continued to develop apace. Indeed, the Chinese appeared to have concluded that the improved relationship with India made it less problematic for them to continue their engagement with Pakistan.

The Chinese provided nuclear-capable M-9 and M-11 missiles and missile technology to them and assisted Pakistan in its strategic programmes. Even when their attention was drawn to specific instances of Chinese assistance to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, such as the supply of dual-use ring magnets by China in 1995-96, the Chinese stoutly denied it – even after the Americans had shown them the evidence.

The Defence Agreement signed in 2006 was intended to build trust between two of the world’s largest standing armies. In 2009, China refused to issue a visa to India’s Northern Army commander on the spurious argument that he exercised jurisdiction over territories that they claimed in Ladakh, which led India to question their sincerity on implementing even limited efforts at trust building. Even on the question of cooperation on shared rivers, after initially agreeing to exchange limited data for the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers, the expert-level mechanism stalled in its efforts to expand the effort to other common rivers, because the Chinese had changed their minds.

Also read: ‘We Are Losing More Land’: Villages Along LAC Skeptical of Latest Disengagement in Eastern Ladakh

For all China’s talk about showing sensitivity to India’s concerns, its actions post-2005 spoke louder than words. Meanwhile, India was asked to bend to Chinese sensitivities and to reiterate the ‘one China’ policy in every major joint document. It also faced mounting pressure to accommodate Chinese concerns vis-à-vis His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The extraordinary security arrangements that China was able to obtain from India during the passage of the Olympic Torch in 2008, including the complete lockdown of central Delhi, the heart of the Union government, marked, in one sense, the perigee in the relationship, which was now being seen as one-sided and unequal even by those who wanted better relations with China.

The backsliding was also visible on the boundary question. Within months of the Agreement on Political Principles and Guiding Parameters being signed in April 2005, China chose to reinterpret key provisions, especially Article 7, that referred to the ‘safeguarding of due interests of settled populations in the border areas’.

In May 2007, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi reportedly told external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee that the mere presence of populated areas in Arunachal Pradesh would not affect Chinese claims on the boundary. From this point on, efforts to find a framework settlement for the boundary question faltered, and over time the mechanism of special representatives was reduced to an annual consultation on foreign and security matters instead of a serious political initiative to resolve a long-standing dispute.

More ominously, the Chinese official media began to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as ‘South Tibet’ after 2005. They signalled their intention by refusing to give a visa to an Indian government official who was serving in Arunachal Pradesh in late 2006. Subsequently, they started the practice of issuing ‘stapled’ visas – the visa was not affixed to the passport but was given on a separate piece of paper stapled to the passport – to all Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh (as well as Jammu and Kashmir).

By the end of 2009, the Indian side was left in no doubt that the Chinese were consciously seeking to emphasise the differences on the boundary question instead of narrowing them down. It was roughly from this time onwards that the LAC began to go ‘live’ once more.

Vijay Gokhale is a former foreign secretary of India.

This excerpt was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire & Galileo Ideas – and has been republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here.

India Reminds China Disengagement Isn’t Complete, No Side Should Destabilise the Situation

It has been over a year since the stand-off between the militaries of India and China began in multiple points in eastern Ladakh in early May 2020.

New Delhi: With summer thawing the snow-bound heights of Ladakh, India on Thursday reiterated that it was New Delhi’s expectation neither side will provoke any new incidents, even as it pointed out that the disengagement process remains incomplete.

It has been over a year since the stand-off between the militaries of India and China began in multiple points in eastern Ladakh in early May 2020. The conflict has led to the first fatalities on the India-China border in over four decades, with at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops declared dead.

“I would like to reiterate what I have shared earlier viz. the process of disengagement remains unfinished. The two sides have agreed that in the interim they would maintain stability on the ground and avoid any new incidents. It is our expectation, therefore, that neither side should do anything that is not in keeping with these understandings,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi at the weekly briefing on Thursday.

Watch | One Year of Ladakh: Do India and China Remain in a Stand-Off?

So far, India and China have only ‘disengaged’ from the northern and southern banks of the Pangong Tso lake. But, even after three months, there has been no progress in the other points of friction, where thousands of Chinese and Indian troops keep a wary eye on each other.

“An early completion of disengagement in the remaining areas could lead to de-escalation of forces in Eastern Ladakh, which would hopefully lead to full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and enable overall progress in the bilateral relationship,” reminded Bagchi.

India has been seeking disengagement – and then de-escalation – at all the remaining stand-off points, but China has shown no urgency. Beijing has been repeatedly asserting that the border issue should not impact the overall relationship.

The Indian side, however, remains clearly wary as the snow melts.

In a recent interview to CNN-News 18, Army Chief General M.M. Naravane had said that 50,000 to 60,000 troops remain deployed on the Line of Actual Control.

In another interview to PTI, Navarane said that it was difficult to predict the timeline to resolve the standoffs in areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and Despang.

“Troops are currently holding all important areas and we have adequate troops in the form of ‘reserves’ to react to any contingencies,” he said.

India Hasn’t Conceded Territory in Disengagement Pact with China in Pangong Tso: MoD

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government has “ceded” Indian territory to China and raised questions over the agreement.

New Delhi: The government on Friday stated that India has not “conceded” any territory following the disengagement agreement with China in Pangong lake areas in eastern Ladakh as political sparks flew thick and fast over the pullback process.

Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government has “ceded” Indian territory to China and raised questions over the agreement, the Ministry of Defence(MoD) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party came out with a response.

A MoD statement said that India has enforced observance and respect for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and prevented any unilateral change in the status quo.

BJP president J.P. Nadda asserted that Gandhi’s claim was an “insult” to the armed forces who are leading the disengagement strategy.

The war of words erupted a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced in Parliament that India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh that mandates both sides to “cease” forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.

Also read: ‘India, China to Remove Forward Deployments in Phased Manner’: Rajnath Singh

In the statement countering Gandhi’s claims, the MoD said the assertion that Indian territory is up to Finger 4 in the northern bank of Pangong lake is categorically false, adding the permanent posts of both sides in the area are “longstanding and well-established”. The mountain spurs in the region are referred to as Fingers.

“Even the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as per the Indian perception, is at Finger 8, not at Finger 4. That is why India has persistently maintained the right to patrol upto Finger 8, including in the current understanding with China.”

The MoD further said the territory of India is as depicted in the map of India and includes more than 43,000 sq km currently under illegal occupation of China since 1962.

“India has not conceded any territory as a result of the agreement. On the contrary, it has enforced observance and respect for LAC and prevented any unilateral change in the status quo,” it added.

The ministry also asserted that permanent posts of both sides at the north bank of Pangong Tso are longstanding and well-established.

“On the Indian side, it is Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 and on the Chinese side, east of Finger 8,” the MoD said, adding the current agreement provides for cessation of forward deployment by both sides and continued deployment at these permanent posts.

In his statement, Defence Minister Singh had said China will pull back its troops to east of Finger 8 areas in the northern bank of Pangong lake while the Indian personnel will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the region.

Singh had also assured Parliament that India has not conceded anything in the sustained talks with China and it will not allow even an inch of its territory to be taken away by anyone..

The MoD statement said it has taken note of some “misinformed and misleading” comments being amplified in the media and on social media regarding the disengagement currently underway at Pangong Tso, asserting it is necessary to set the record straight and counter certain instances of wrongly understood information.

It further said the defence minister’s statement also made clear that there are outstanding issues to be addressed, including at Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang, adding they are to be taken up within 48 hours of the completion of the Pangong Tso disengagement.

Addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi questioned why the Prime Minister did not make a statement on the LAC situation, and said Singh “sheepishly” made a statement on the issue in both Houses of Parliament.

“The Prime Minister should say – I have given Indian land to China, this is the truth,” he said targeting Modi.

He said it has emerged that Indian troops are now going to be stationed at Finger 3 at Pangong Tso lake.

“Finger-4 is our territory, that is where our post used to be. So, now we have moved from Finger-4 to Finger-3. Why has Prime Minister Modi given up Indian Territory to the Chinese? This is the question that needs to be answered by him and by the Defence Minister,” Gandhi said.

He asked why have Indian troops, after the hard work that they had done in capturing Kailash ranges been asked to move back.

“What has India got in return for this? Most importantly, the more important strategic area, Depsang plains, why have the Chinese not moved back? These are the real questions. Why have they not moved from Gogra-Hot Springs”.

Gandhi said it is the responsibility of the prime minister to protect the territory of the country.

“GOI must explain – Why our forces are withdrawing from dominant positions in Kailash Ranges? Why we are ceding our territory & withdrawing from forward base at Finger 4 to Finger 3? Why has China not withdrawn from our territory in Depsang Plains & Gogra-Hot Springs,” he asked in a tweet.

Asked at the news conference if India will lose its strategic advantage once status quo ante is restored, Gandhi said there was no strategic advantage as the Chinese were on our land in Depsang and Pangong.

“Our soldiers risked everything, they had, to go to Kailash ranges. That’s where the strategic advantage, if any, arose. Now, the prime minister has given back the land. Status quo ante is irrelevant. Kailash has been given back and nothing has happened on the key area of which China wants, Depsang plains.”

“This is absolute 100 per cent cowardice. This is nothing else. The prime minister is a coward who cannot stand up to the Chinese…He is betraying the sacrifice of our army,” he charged.

In a statement, Congress’s chief spokesperson Rained Surjewala claimed that Singh’s address and the Defence Ministry’s statement “completely omit” the fact that the Government has agreed to withdraw Indian armed forces from dominant positions in Kailash ranges (southern Bank, Pangong Tso Lake Area), where the Chinese are at a disadvantage, without any quid pro quo by China.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi accused Gandhi of “lying left, right and centre” and denigrating the country’s security forces.

‘India, China to Remove Forward Deployments in Phased Manner’: Rajnath Singh

‘India and China will remove forward deployments in a phased, coordinated manner,’ the defence minister said at the Rajya Sabha on February 11.

New Delhi: China and India have agreed on disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso Lake and respective forward deployments of troops will now be removed slowly, defence minister Rajnath Singh said in his 14-minute statement at the Rajya Sabha, on the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

The defence minister’s statement comes a day after the Chinese defence ministry said that frontline troops of China and India had started a “synchronised and organised” disengagement from Wednesday, February 10.


As The Wire has reported, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defence Senior Colonel Wu Qian said in a brief statement in Beijing, “The Chinese and Indian frontline troops at the southern and northern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake start synchronised and organised disengagement from February 10.”

Singh said while military and diplomatic channels have always been open through the nine-month standoff, “India has never will and nor will it ever accept the intrusions” that China has made. In June, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had contradicted his government’s stand to assert that “no intrusions had been made” into Indian territory, leading to confusion first and a shot in China’s arm later.

“During the talks, we told China that we want solution of the issue based on three principles. First, both parties must agree on the LAC and respect it. Secondly, there should not be an attempt to change the status unilaterally, by any party. Thirdly, all the compromises should be completely agreed upon by both parties,” Singh said in his address.

Military tankers carrying fuel move towards forward areas in the Ladakh region, September 15, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

“Our sustained talks with China have led to agreement on disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake. After this agreement, India-China will remove forward deployments in a phased, coordinated manner,” Singh said to applause from the Upper House.

Based on this understanding, China will now move its soldiers to Finger 8 and India will move towards Finger 3 to the administrative camp to restore the status quo, Singh said.

Also read: How Does the Indian Army’s Winter Deployment in Ladakh Fare Against the PLA’s?

“Many fraction areas are built near LAC in Eastern Ladakh. China has collected heavy force and arms and ammunition near LAC and in the nearby area on their side. Our forces have also adequate and effectively done counter deployment,” he said.

“I want to assure this House that we have not lost anything,” he also said.

Singh said that while there are some outstanding issues on deployment and patrolling in LAC, both sides are united on the issue of disengagements.

“Our security forces have proved that they are ready to face any challenge to protect the sovereignty of the country,” he said. Twenty Indian soldiers died in an escalation of the standoff last year at Galwan Valley and are deployed in Ladakh in a demanding winter.

Singh also stressed on India’s commitment to maintaining peace at the LAC. “India has always emphasised on maintaining bilateral ties, along with peace and tranquility,” he said.

Chinese, Indian Border Troops to Start ‘Synchronised’ Disengagement in Eastern Ladakh

While the Chinese defence ministry made the announcement, there was no official statement from the Indian side. Rajnath Singh will make a statement today in the Rajya Sabha.

New Delhi: The frontline troops of China and India started a “synchronised and organised” disengagement from Wednesday at the south and north banks of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, the Chinese defence ministry said, in what appears to be a step towards the overall disengagement process to defuse the more than nine-month long border standoff between the two countries.

There was no official comment by either the Indian defence ministry or the Indian Army on the Chinese statement, but media reports said both sides are in the process of pulling back their armoured units like tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

Both sides will return to to the pre-April 2020 positions in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

According to news agency PTI, “specific steps” like the withdrawal of armoured elements from the friction points were discussed threadbare at the ninth round of high-level military talks on January 24 that lasted for around 16 hours.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement in the Rajya Sabha at 10:30 am on Thursday on the situation in eastern Ladakh, according to a tweet from his office.

“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh will make a statement in Rajya Sabha tomorrow regarding ‘Present Situation in Eastern Ladakh’,” it said.

PTI reported that “authoritative sources” in the Indian defence and military establishment did not refute the Chinese defence ministry’s statement on the developments in the northern and southern banks of Pangong lake, an area that witnessed major face-offs since the row erupted on May 5.

People familiar with the situation in eastern Ladakh said both sides are in the process of pulling back their armoured units in line with steps agreed upon for overall disengagement in the last round of military talks, adding a “clear picture” will emerge soon.

According to The Hindu, the agreement effectively means that China will have to retreat to its original positions on the Finger area of the north bank of Pangong Tso and India will have to climb down from the advantageous position it has occupied on the southern side of the lake. The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as Fingers.

The newspaper also reported that Depsang and Charding Ninglung Nallah junction in Demchok sector are not part of the “current disengagement plan”. These will be discussed in the next meeting.

China’s 1960 claim line in Ladakh is marked in yellow, the LAC at Pangong Tso is in pink. As can be seen, Thakung, the site of the latest standoff, is inside the LAC but within the 1960 Chinese claim line. Map: The Wire

The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defence Senior Colonel Wu Qian said in a brief statement in Beijing, “The Chinese and Indian frontline troops at the southern and northern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake start synchronised and organised disengagement from February 10.” The statement did not provide details.

“This move is in accordance with the consensus reached by both sides at the 9th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting,” the statement added.

Separately, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the frontline troops of the Chinese and Indian militaries began to conduct simultaneous and planned disengagement in the Pangong Lake area on Wednesday as per consensus reached at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in Moscow in September and the ninth round of Corps commander-level talks.

“We hope the Indian side will work with China to meet each other halfway, strictly implement the consensus reached between the two sides and ensure the smooth implementation of the disengagement process,” Wang Wenbin said in a statement.

“This move is in accordance with the consensus reached by both sides at the 9th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting,” the official added.

FILE: Army trucks move towards the LAC in eastern Ladakh, amid the prolonged India-China stand off, September 12, 2020. Photo: PTI

‘Some forward movement’

A source in the Indian military and defence establishment told PTI that there has been some “forward movement” but added that India will “only go by what is happening on the ground”.

A senior official told The Hindu that the ground commanders are meeting “twice a day” and that the Indian Army is hopeful of achieving a “pre-April 2020 status in all sectors”. Reduction of troops will be visible on the ground in the next two-three days, the official said.

Both sides rushed a large number of battle tanks, armoured vehicles and heavy equipment to the treacherous and high-altitude areas of the region after tension escalated following a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June last.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the fierce hand-to-hand combat on June 15 in Galwan Valley, an incident that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

China is yet to disclose the number of its soldiers killed and injured in the clash though it officially admitted to have suffered casualties. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

At their ninth round of military talks, the Indian and Chinese armies agreed to push for an “early disengagement” of troops and resolved to continue “effective efforts” to stabilise and control the situation in eastern Ladakh.

“The two sides agreed to continue their effective efforts in ensuring the restraint of the frontline troops, stabilise and control the situation along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the China-India border, and jointly maintain peace and tranquillity,” said a joint statement after the talks.

India has all along been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all friction points and no selective approach was acceptable to it.

India was specifically insisting on the withdrawal of the troops of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Finger 4 to Finger 8 on the north bank of Pangong Lake.

On its part, the Chinese side was insisting on the withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic peaks on the southern bank of the lake.

Around five months ago, Indian troops occupied a number of strategic heights in the Mukhpari, Rechin La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of the Pangong lake after the Chinese military attempted to intimidate them in the area.

Close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh amid continuing diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution to the standoff.

Last month, Army chief General M.M. Naravane said that Indian troops will hold their ground as long as it takes to achieve the “national goals and objectives”.

In December last, India and China held another round of diplomatic talks on the border row under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs.

Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides had announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters.

This round was held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave.

The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

(With PTI inputs)